Fornario brings gentler style to Blooming Grove Town Hall

Blooming Grove — Like snow melt in late winter, a thaw is occurring at Town Hall.

BY JOHN SULLIVAN

Blooming Grove — Like snow melt in late winter, a thaw is occurring at Town Hall.

The past eight years, under then-Supervisor Charlie Bohan, were marked by a no-nonsense, tightly controlled approach to governance: swift decisions and minimal public participation, observers say.

"Sometimes, (Town Board meetings) would end after just 10 minutes," Town Clerk Barbara Decker recalled.

That's changed under new Supervisor Frank Fornario, residents and council members say.

"Charlie's approach was not as warm and fuzzy as Frank's," said Jean Otto, who belongs to the same Conservative Party as Bohan. "You didn't get chocolate chip cookies from him, but he got the job done."

Chocolate chip cookies?

"People call me the baking bureaucrat," said Fornario, who hands out cookies and brownies to his constituents. "I support Charlie, but I'm very different."

Fornario. a Republican who received the Conservative Party endorsement, is a decidedly gentler manager than Bohan.

His supporters say he's a consensus builder, whose commitment to inclusion can push Town Board meetings late into the night.

Bohan's critics say he was a top-down manager who limited participation.

"Charlie did what Charlie wanted to do; he didn't share a lot of information," Councilman Wayne Kirkpatrick said.

Bohan is unapologetic about his leadership. He decided not to run again for supervisor last year.

"It's true I didn't get into long debates or drawn-out meetings, because it was a waste of time by a lot of people who liked to hear themselves talk," Bohan said, adding that he was always available for questions and readily provided information to the public.

Bohan's supporters say he was the right man at the right time.

When he took office in 2002, the town was virtually bankrupt, the chief accountant was charged with stealing taxpayer money, and the battles to shut Camp La Guardia and keep Kiryas Joel's growth under control were just revving up.

"He (Bohan) was an 'Admiral Halsey, full-torpedoes-ahead' type, and we benefited from that style of leadership," said Councilman Brandon Nielsen.

Some can interpret Fornario's leadership style as weakness, said Nielsen, who worried that Fornario's tolerance would result in more political "showboating" on the Town Board.

"I want a hybrid; I want Charlie's strong leadership, but Frank's diplomacy," Nielsen said. "If the two of them were to have a child, it would be the perfect supervisor."